The Best Bayfield Haunts

You may have read my love letter to Bayfield already. Michael and I visited for our anniversary and absolutely loved the place. Northern Wisconsin is weird and wonderful, so when I make it up there – be it Bayfield or Hayward or wherever else – I really like to embrace all the fun townie and touristy things that make the place special.

While Bayfield isn’t very big (fewer than 500 people), we still found a lot of places to love there. Here are our favorite Bayfield and Apostle Island haunts.

Apostle Islands Booksellers

Heading up to Bayfield, Michael and I didn’t have much of an agenda besides see lighthouses and go hiking. Well, that and visit Apostle Island Booksellers. We did minimal research on our destination, but this was one shop I knew I wanted to visit. Michael and I love books, so why not pop in?

What we found was, in my opinion, the perfect bookstore. Apostle Island Booksellers is fairly small, but the collection there was wonderfully curated and displayed. Right up front in the store, there were Native and Wisconsin authors, plus plenty of Great Lakes-related literature. Michael and I immediately picked up three books from this half of the store: Tracks and The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich (an Ojibwe author who is one of my absolute faves) and The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan.

I was equally happy with the rest of the store, too. My heart was warmed seeing Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis’s books in the kids’ section. And then I was intrigued by pretty much the entirety of the fiction selection. In fact, I made Michael take me back to Apostle Island Booksellers on our way home because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I bought another book, of course.

Learn more about Apostle Island Booksellers.

Seven Ponds Winery

Before we even got into Bayfield proper on our first day we stopped at Seven Ponds Winery. It’s situated in the Fruit Loop which is what locals call the string of orchards on the hills surrounding the town; I obviously love this name.

I was so impressed with this winery! I was very much expecting something along the lines of the Cedar Creek Winery in Cedarburg, Wisconsin or the Door Peninsula Winery in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (both nice and worth a visit, but I’d consider them mom stops) but instead, it was so much more and so much better!

First off, walking inside it was stunning – crisp and clean like a modern farmhouse – but then we went out on the patio and I was awestruck. We were sitting amidst the orchards and vineyards where all the fruit is grown for the wines. I consider this very cool.

I’d also consider their wine list to be very cool. There were the mom wines (I’m talking strawberry-rhubarb, apple and cranberry) but there was also an impressive selection of other wines. We each ordered a flight and got an amazing cheese plate to share. I loved that cheese plate with its fancy mushroom dust and dandelion coulis and best-ever goat cheese.

In the end, we took home a few bottles for our moms, a few for us and one for a friend. I’d highly recommend the Moonlight, a dry but fruity white, and the Sea Breeze, which had a hint of grapefruit.

Learn more about Seven Ponds Winery.

Morty’s Pub

If you’re looking for something a bit less fancy than a slick winery, I’d send you to Morty’s Pub on the main drag in Bayfield. Michael and I stopped in here to kill some time (and because we love Rick & Morty which, of course, has nothing to do with this Irish pub), and we had a great time. Is it a basic bar? Absolutely. But the bartender there was really invaluable to us. She had some great recommendations! Plus, we enjoyed some tasty local beers.

Learn more about Morty’s Pub.

The Fat Radish

My favorite food the whole trip was a late dinner at the Fat Radish. This felt pretty serendipitous since I had my eye on the place but when we walked by previously, they weren’t set to be open for dinner during our stay. But wouldn’t you know it, when we went to peep the menu, it was open!

I was pretty much sold on the place since it focused on using a lot of local and fresh ingredients. Not to mention that the atmosphere was really cozy. I got a tasty salad and a “stupid-good,” as the waitress called it, mac and cheese with broccoli and asparagus. After a long day of hiking, it really hit the spot.

Learn more about the Fat Radish.

The Beach Club

After a three-hour boat ride and a run through the museum on Madeline Island, Michael and I were pretty famished. We stopped by the Beach Club for a late lunch (this was recommended by the bartender at Morty’s). The place is pretty casual but it had some stellar views of the lake. We grabbed a table inside and faced the huge windows and just enjoyed watching the boats go by. As for the food, I expected standard bar food, but it was really one of our best meals on our trip! I got tacos which were simple but totally hit the spot. Michael got a trout fry (seriously local, the trout is caught right there in the lake) and it was good. I don’t like fish and even I was feeling it.

Learn more about the Beach Club.

Tom’s Burned Down Café

OK, so as we were strolling around downtown LaPointe, Michael and I saw what I assumed was the city dump. It looked like a junkyard – tents, car parts, metal sheeting. Then we got closer and realized that it was a bar. We walked in, and honestly, I can’t describe it to you; it’s a mess but in a good way. It looked like the kind of bar you’d build after getting shipwrecked on an island. But we settled in for a drink and had a good time chatting up the locals.

But really you just need to see the place for yourself.

Learn more about Tom’s Burned Down Café.

Pinehurst Inn

Last, but in no way least, I’d highly recommend the bed and breakfast where we stayed. It’s always difficult to book a place based on a few pictures and some reviews (no matter how glowing), but I’m so glad Michael and I choose this inn.

The owners were so inviting. They brought our bags to our room (this impresses me always) and gave us all the scoops on the best local hikes and eats. And every morning we were served an incredible three-course breakfast. For long days of hiking, a good breakfast is a must, so we definitely appreciated them! Also – this honestly made the stay for me – every afternoon we got fresh-baked cookies as a snack. They were some damned good cookies.

And the rooms? Well, they were gorgeous. We stayed in one of the smaller ones, but we got some nice perks, like a private patio. I also think it was the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in. Truly. In fact, I loved the place so much, I’m actively campaigning for my parents to visit (they are already 90% convinced).

Learn more about the Pinehurst Inn.

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At this point, I think I should be the spokesperson for Travel Wisconsin. Even if that dream doesn’t come true, I hope these recommendations are helpful to you!